Hello swappers
I am Wes White. The very same Wes White heralded in the last post.
My website at cyberwes.com* is usually experienced by its browsers as a baffling maze of material, with pages referencing each other and sundry, and links unexpectedly taking you to the ‘shop’ page at every opportunity - which is how it should be.
Right now, however, as I tinker with the maze, my website stands to advertise just one thing. And that one thing is Attack!!!! issue 14.That current status of the website - its rare singular intent - allows me here an opportunity to focus on two very specific questions which will help you to get to know me better as a zinester. Namely; “what is Attack!!!!?”, and “what is Attack!!!! issue 14?”.
These are the topics I shall attempt to explore in the space below, and I hope they will serve as an introduction to what I do. At the end of it, you might like to say hello in a comment. That would be nice.
So, What is Attack!!!!?
I founded Attack!!!! in 2003 as a showcase for the creative work of friends and others. There’s always been an emphasis on originality and experimentation.
Every issue is themed, and way back in issue 5 I asked contributors to write something to inspire future issues. Every issue since has been based on one of those pieces I got way back then.**
Each new issue is a collection of original new artwork, writing, music, and we’ve always been open to work in other media too. Because each new issue is a collection of original new artwork, writing, music, and we’ve always been open to work in other media; it is sometimes refered to as “a poetry zine”.
Attack!!!! is not a poetry zine.
Then, what is Attack!!!! 14?
The piece from issue 5 which inspired the current issue was written by Nick Beech. That’s why the whole issue is subtitled “Response: Beech”.
Nick’s piece is called “Schemata for the Production of Synthetic Precision in Textual Praxis”, and it’s a perversion of George Orwell’s rules for good writing. As a result the issue is full of work based on various ways of twisting rules… and deliberately bad writing.
Here is a run down of everyone who put into this issue:
- Wes White As mentioned above, I’m the editor. Sometimes I contribute and sometimes I don’t. Sometimes I submit work as a contributor and then reject it as an editor. I’m sure you’re going to hear quite enough from me on this blog in the next few weeks not to have to worry about a biog here.
- Erica Viola: Erica is a writer who lives in Omaha, Nebraska. She and I are working on a novel about a magic tattoo parlour. If you have any stories about tattoos relating to dreams or the supernatural, please get in touch.
- Dan Newman, who submitted a written piece for this issue, is better known as Steveless. Here are some tracks from Steveless’ Peel Sessions.
- Alex Bertram-Powell also wrote for this issue, but is also better known for his illustration and as a musician, including his roles in ANTA and Boxcar Aldous Huxley. And some other stuff too, but he can’t hog this whole listing.
- Jimmy Shea is new to Attack!!!!. I met him at a Hysterical Injury gig. More on them in a minute.
- Ian Smith is a regular contributor I met on Goldsmiths’ MA in Creative and Life Writing. Among other things he is the author of Tony Blair: The Wilderness Years; which is all about what happened to Tony Blair after he left Downing Street***
- Phoebe Dick …does all sorts of stuff and you can find out more about it on her blog. She’s also the sister of Gethan Dick, who featured in every other issue to date. Apart from this one.
- Steve Leighton is my former chemistry teacher, the author of Tales of Kaph, and the only person to have contributed to every Attack!!!! to date.
- Matthew Pooter is new to Attack!!!!; and it’s a pseudonym.
